


i'm in love with you, shout it to the void

by payneclinic



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, oblivious boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 16:28:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2157405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/payneclinic/pseuds/payneclinic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Liam, I'll go with you!"</p>
<p>"Aw Nialler that's really nice of you and my family loves you, but I still think they'll be upset over me not having a special someone."</p>
<p>"No, like, I'll be your special someone?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Liam lies to his family and to himself, but Niall's there to help with both.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'm in love with you, shout it to the void

In retrospect, this was probably all Liam's fault. But if you ask him, anyone in his position would have acted similarly. It's bad enough that he can't get a girlfriend - or a boyfriend, for that matter - but having his mum and sisters (and even his dad, once) pestering at him about it only made it worse. So he did what any sane person would do. He told a _small, teeny tiny_ lie to get them off his back.

It wasn't as if he planned it, but he was three hours deep into a 4-way video chat with his sisters and parents and he just couldn't take the constant questioning. He finally cracked and blabbed out something to the effect of "I'm seeing someone, okay!? So stop bugging me about being alone for the rest of my life!"

Which only subjected him to a whole new line of questioning about _who_ and _how_ and _when_ and _why didn't you tell us_ and _when can we meet them_ and _boyfriend or girlfriend_? Liam refused to answer any of these questions and quickly ended the video call, using some lame excuse about tour rehearsals.

So yeah, it was probably all Liam's fault that a month later he was still trying to dodge questions from his sisters about his mysterious partner. And it was probably his fault that his mother called twice a day to try and get some sort of information out of him. And it was probably his fault that his dad texted him about how his mum cries every time they get off the phone because 'her son won't even tell her who he's seeing.'

And it's _definitely_ Liam's fault that he let himself be guilted into agreeing to bring his 'special someone' (that term was actually used, multiple times, by his mum) home for a week.

But to Niall's credit, he does not point out that it's all Liam's fault. He just sits and listens, patting Liam's head and nodding sympathetically from time to time. When Liam's done talking, just sitting there pouting, Niall starts coming up with solutions.

"So I'm guessing you're not too keen on telling them the truth?" Liam just pouts _even more_ and shakes his head. "What about a dating site then?"

"Niall, you know we can't go on those stupid things. And even if I did find someone, how would I explain to them that my family thinks we've been dating for a month?" Liam answers.

"I bet a fan would be up for it. Just pull a random one out of the crowd and explain the situation. They'll be ecstatic."

Liam actually cringes at that suggestion. "Way too risky. I mean, I'm sure 99 percent are perfectly nice, but some of them have literally stole my underpants and tried to break into my hotel room. I can't chance taking one of them home to my _family._ "

"Probably a good choice, there," Niall amends, shrugging his shoulders.

Liam drops his head to his hands and groans. "What am I gonna do?"

Liam thinks he's just going to have to bite the bullet and come clean when Niall's head pops up.

"Liam, I'll go with you!"

"Aw Nialler that's really nice of you and my family loves you, but I still think they'll be upset over me not having a _special someone_."

"No, like, I'll be your special someone?" His voice goes high at the end of his sentence, accidentally making it a question.

Liam's having trouble processing this.

"It's perfect, because I already know what's going on. Your family knows we're both bisexual, and you just said that they already love me. It's not like we don't have experience living in each other's pockets, you know? We're practically dating already."

Liam takes a second to consider before cautiously nodding. "And you don't mind giving up your break to lie to my family with me?"

"I'm not giving up my break, Liam. I'm just using my break to spend some time with my favorite person," he says, ruffling a hand through Liam's unkempt hair.

Liam's finally smiling now when he says, "Niall, you're the best mate I ever could've asked for."

 

 

The two hour plane ride back to London and then another two hours on the drive to Liam's parents' house pass easily. Niall really is Liam's best friend, and he loves spending time with him. If he has to fake-date anyone, he's glad it's Niall.

He's mobbed as soon as he walks through the door, suitcases in hand. Liam's mum is crying (no surprise there, though), and everyone seems to be too busy exchanging hugs to realize that Niall is standing in the doorway, watching Liam with open fondness.

"Wait, what?" Nicola practically screeches when she sees Niall. "Liam, I thought you were bringing home a - uh - _special someone_?"

Liam looks panicked, but Niall laughs it off easily. "I'm not special enough for you, Nic?"

"No, it's just," Ruth cuts in, "we though Liam was bringing home his girlfriend. Or boyfriend."

Niall shrugs, "He did."

Everyone's jaws drop. Liam figures now is a good time to step in. "Mum, Dad, Ruth, Nicola, meet my boyfriend, Niall."

Karen Payne absolutely beams at this. Liam doesn't think he's ever seen her smile this hard. She turns to slap Geoff on the arm and says, "That's ten pounds you owe me. I'll tell you what, a mother's intuition is never wrong!"

Liam balks at that. "You guys bet that I would end up with Niall?"

"We made the bet three bloody years ago," Geoff explains. "Although I don't think your mother ever stopped hoping you two would get your acts together."

Niall must sense Liam's speechlessness, because he deflects with "Well, I guess all that matters is that we're together and happy. And also dead tired. Fancy an afternoon nap, Payno?"

Liam takes the out gratefully. "Yeah, that sounds perfect." He grabs Niall's hand and drags him up the steps to his room, pointedly ignoring Ruth's promise that there would be more questions at dinner.

"Holy shit," he breathes as soon as the door is shut.

Niall looks unaffected. "Chill, Liam. This is what you wanted, isn't it? Everybody's happy."

"Yeah, I guess I just didn't expect this?"

"That much was obvious. We gotta get you into some acting classes or something, damn." Liam chuckles a bit at the playful criticism. "Now, I am going to pitch a fit if you don't get over here and take a nice afternoon nap with your hot boyfriend."

 

Liam wakes up from his nap with Niall half-sprawled over him, but that's really nothing new. Niall always tends to cling to the nearest warm body when he sleeps, he really doesn't care who it is. Liam disentangles himself from the sheets and Niall's limbs before heading downstairs where his family is sitting around the kitchen table. His mum's head pops up as soon as he enters the room.

"Where's Niall, then?" she asks almost immediately.

"Still sleeping. Figure he needs some rest while he can get it. I'll wake him up before dinner."

"So domestic already," Ruth jokes. Liam laughs because he supposes he and Niall _are_ fairly domestic, especially for the fact that they aren't actually dating.

"Are we gonna get the story of how you two got together?"

"Uh, we should wait until Niall gets up... He tells the story better, anyway." It's just now that he realizes that he and Niall probably should have rehearsed some background details of their relationship. But he figures that Niall will be able to make most of it up on the fly while he just nods dumbly, as usual.

He chats with his family about how the tour's gone and the upcoming shows and what they've all been doing until his mum pops up and starts preparing dinner, announcing that it'll be ready in twenty minutes. Liam decides he should probably go wake Niall up now, but the task proves a little more difficult than he hoped for.

"Mmmm, ten more minutes, please," Niall grumbles into his pillow. Liam allows it, deciding he's earned the extra slumber time. But Niall whines again when he turns to leave.

"What now?" Liam asks, faux-annoyed. Niall just turns over and opens his arms, making grabby hands in Liam's general direction. Liam rolls his eyes but climbs in the bed anyways, letting Niall cuddle into him straight away. Liam thinks a week of this might not be so bad after all.

 

He's thinking the opposite at dinner. His family bombards them with questions before they've even started eating. Liam answers one or two, preferring to let Niall handle most of them.

"Alright, I think we've waited long enough," his mom starts in the middle of Liam's first bite of his meal, "it's time for the story."

Niall is obviously confused. "What story?"

"The story of how you started dating, of course! Liam says you tell it better and we've been _dying_ to hear it!" Liam shoots Niall what he hopes is a discreet yet apologetic smile. Niall rolls his eyes at him.

"Well, it's kind of a long story," he tries, only to be immediately shut down with a chorus of ' _We don't care_ 's and ' _Tell us anyway_ 's.

"Ok, I guess it all started at the beginning of the tour. We were out at a bar one night and there was this bloke hitting on me, but I definitely wasn't interested. Liam, being the good friend and perfect gentleman that he is, stepped in and pretended to be my boyfriend so the guy would back off. And then it just kind of became a thing where if someone was chatting us up and we weren't interested, the other would pretend to be their boyfriend to get them out of it. And then I kind of realized that no matter who I was talking to, I would always use Liam. Like, the girl in front of me could be the prettiest girl in the world and I'd still pretend to be taken. And I started noticing that Liam was doing the same thing. It was like we had more fun pretend-dating each other than when we were trying to actually date other people. It kind of hit me all at once, but it took Liam a bit longer. It was about a week after I made my big discovery that Liam burst into my hotel room at two in the morning telling me that he didn't want to fake-date me anymore. So I said 'You're breaking up with me?' and he said 'Yes. Will you go on a date with me?' And that's pretty much the whole story." Niall finishes the story with a small chuckle and ruffles Liam's hair. Liam can't stop smiling because _of course_ Niall would make up a story where they were fake-dating. Everyone coos at the story, Karen's smile is so wide she might be pulling a facial muscle.

"How has the media not caught wind of you two going around claiming to be dating?" Nicola laughs.

"To be fair, Niall and I have pretty much been saying that we're dating the whole time. No one ever takes it seriously because they're too preoccupied with Louis and Harry," Liam explains. At least that much is true.

"Speaking of _the media_ , when do you two plan on telling everyone about this?" Geoff asks.

"Oh, we're definitely going to keep this quiet for a while. We already get mobbed so much when we go out, it'd only get worse if people find out we've actually been going on dates this whole time," Niall answers. Everyone nods their agreement.

Liam's anxiety level drops significantly when the questioning is over. Niall carries the conversation easily, happily chatting about everything and anything. He even offers to help Karen and Geoff clean up. They sit in the living room and chat for a bit longer until Liam mumbles something about it being a 'long day' and how they ought to get to bed.

Karen kisses them both on the cheek as they say their good nights and head up the stairs to finally unpack and go to sleep.

"Not too bad," Liam remarks once they're in the safety of his room.

"Of course it wasn't. I told you this was gonna be easy, Liam. Now you just gotta relax and enjoy the fact that you get to spend the whole week with your family and your extremely hot boyfriend."

"I don't know about extremely hot... I'd say average, at best," Liam teases. Niall tackles him for that, attempting to pin him to the bed.

"Shut up, Payno, you know I'm sexy."

Liam laughs but allows himself to be manhandled, not really wanting to exert the energy it would take to fight back. Just then Ruth comes in the door, face completely shocked as she takes in the scene. Both boys turn red immediately, completely frozen as they realize what a compromising position they're in.

"Well that is... pretty surprising, actually. But anyway, Mum wanted me to tell you that you should set your alarm for tomorrow because she's taking you both out for brunch," she says before exiting the room. It takes Niall a second to react.

"Wait, Ruth, why is it surprising?! I COULD TOTALLY T-" his yell is cut off by Liam slapping a hand over his mouth.

"Mate, please never, ever, under any circumstances, yell about sexual positions when my mother is in the house."

"Fine, but I could totally top."

Liam snorts. "Sure you could."

"Hey! Just because I have chicken legs and you have muscles on your muscles does not mean that you would always top."

"Sure, not always," Liam concedes. "Just ninety nine percent of the time."

"Exactly! And that one percent would rock your fucking world, Payne," Niall winks, still sitting firmly on Liam's abdomen.

"I know it would, Niall. But for now can you please get off of me so we can go to sleep?"

Niall obliges, rolling over and reaching for his phone to set an alarm.

"Brunch is at ten, right? So should I set the alarm for 9:55?" he asks hopefully. Liam rolls his eyes.

"Try nine. We both have to get up and shower, which will take you _at least_ an hour."

"Not if we shower together," Niall retorts, waggling his eyebrows.

"Go to sleep, Niall."

 

Waking Niall up is never a particularly easy task. Liam showers and dresses completely before Niall even makes it out of the bed. "Payno, I swear to God you better not wake me up again for the rest of the week. This is the one and only early morning you will get out of me," he grumbles as he walks over to the bathroom. Liam laughs but he knows what Niall means, they've got to get their sleep whenever they can, even if that means practically sleeping through breaks.

Liam's mum is waiting on the couch when they come downstairs. She wastes no time in hustling them into the car and to the restaurant. It's a very small place, one Liam remembers going to quite often as a kid. It's one of those buffet-style brunches with plenty of food and every type of juice you can imagine.

"Jesus fuck," Niall comments under his breath, "how many types of fucking pomegranate juices are there?" Liam laughs at him, then laughs even harder when he asks for five glasses for all the juices he wants.

They've just settled down at the table and started a light conversation when Liam sees it. It's that look his mum gets whenever she's about to talk about something really serious. He doesn't even have time to warn Niall before she just comes out with it.

"So, Niall, what are your intentions with my son?" Niall chokes on the bagel in his mouth, face going redder than Liam's ever seen it.

"Mum, seriously? You _know_ Niall. He's been my best friend for four years for god's sake!" he exclaims.

"That doesn't mean he automatically gets to bypass the mother interrogation!"

Niall's face has changed from red to ghostly white at the word _interrogation_.

"Oh my God, Mum," Liam groans, "everybody already questioned him up and down last night!"

"Uh, it's fine Liam. Sure I can handle a few more questions, right?" Niall doesn't even sound convinced. Liam drops his head to his hands.

"Fantastic. So where do you see your future with Liam?"

"Well, uh, obviously we both want to stay in the band. And, like, keep dating. But I think one day we'd both like to settle down and have a more permanent home, you know? Like, we wouldn't have to have a family right away, even though I know I want kids. It'd just be nice to have a place where we both stay instead of having to jet all over the world."

Liam's still got his head in his hands, but now he's smiling. Niall's future for them sounds pretty perfect.

Karen presses on. "And when do you plan on telling everyone about this relationship?"

"Um, I think it's important to both of us that our families know first. So, like, we'll probably tell mine soon."

"And do the other boys know?"

"We haven't told them, but I'm sure they have their suspicions." Liam almost laughs out loud at this, he can still remember all of the times Harry has pulled him aside and told him that 'you guys can tell us, you know. We wouldn't care if you're together.'

"Alright, Mum, I think that's enough questions, yeah?" Liam interrupts before his mother can further question Niall. He gets a grateful smile from Niall.

"Yes, I suppose. There's just one more thing," Liam nearly groans at this, "You two realize you're allowed to touch each other, right?"

"What?" Liam chokes out.

"I just feel like you two are restraining yourselves when you don't need to. There are no paps around and the family certainly doesn't care."

Liam is speechless so Niall is the one to nervously chuckle and reply with "Thanks, Karen. Just used to being watched all the time, I guess."

 

"So I guess we need to amp up the PDA," Niall laughs later, sitting down next to Liam on his bed.

"I don't understand how she's only been around us for a day and a half and already she's giving us relationship advice. By the end of the week she'll be asking me why I haven't proposed yet."

Niall's eyes light up at that. "A fake wedding could be fun."

Liam snorts.

 

Niall gets interrogated two more times that day, once by Ruth during lunch and once by Nicola in the middle of the movie they were watching. Geoff doesn't ask any questions, instead preferring to watch the interrogations and laugh quietly to himself. Liam's pretty impressed with how well Niall's held his own against the questions. If the situation was reversed he's pretty sure he would crumble in a matter of minutes. But Niall is sure in himself and his answers. Liam's even starting to believe the tales Niall is telling. He figures Niall deserves a break, though, so he tells them all that the two of them won't be there for dinner.

"Taking me out, Payno?" Niall jokes, plopping down practically in Liam's lap. Liam's a bit startled until he remembers that they're supposed to be upping the PDA. He cautiously wraps his arm around Niall's middle, ready to retract if Niall's uncomfortable. He seems just fine, though. He even leans into it a bit.

"Something like that," he murmurs.

"Do I need to get all dolled up for you?"

"I think you'll be just fine in what you're wearing. We can leave now, if you're hungry," Liam suggests.

"I'm starving, let's do it."

Niall pops up and grabs Liam's hand, practically dragging him to the car.

 

"Holy shit, mate, I'm so sorry about the questions," Liam says once they're safely out of the driveway. Niall just laughs.

"They're your family, Liam, they're supposed to interrogate your boyfriend. I will admit that I didn't expect them to be so _thorough_ with their questions, but it was kind of fun answering them. Now, will you tell me where you're taking me?"

"We are going to grab some food and then we are going to the park."

"Oh my God, this is such a high school date, Liam. This is great. Only thing better would've been dinner and a movie."

"Shut up, it's a nice park," Liam defends. "And I don't fancy getting mobbed at a movie theater, do you?"

"Hey, I'm not complaining! Let's do this!"

Liam pulls into the drive-thru at the nearest fast food place, grabbing them each a burger, fries, and a milkshake.

The park is completely empty, which isn't a huge surprise in such a small town. Liam grabs the blanket he threw in the car and lays it on the grass.

"Proper romantic, yeah?" he asks.

"Yeah, you're sweeping me off my feet, Liam," Niall laughs back.

"Hey, I could've left you at home to deal with the family."

"My hero. D'you expect me to put out or something?"

"Yes, Niall, I took you to the _park_ to fuck you."

"What? You could have a secret exhibitionism kink or something, I don't judge."

"Niall Horan, you are the weirdest person I know."

"But you love me anyway."

"Of course."

"And I love you, even though you're a dirty little exhibitionist."

"Niall!"

"Just trying to make you laugh, Payno."

"You always make me laugh, Niall."

Niall beams at this. "Now you're just buttering me up."

"Well if I'm gonna be your fake boyfriend I'm at least gonna be a good one."

"What a gentleman," Niall says, rolling his eyes dramatically.

"Just shut up and enjoy this, would you?"

"Oh I'm definitely enjoying this, Liam. I don't see why you don't have a girlfriend or boyfriend, you're a catch."

"You're my best mate, you're supposed to say that."

"No, Liam, seriously. Like, you're the nicest person I know and you always take care of me and you're so fucking loyal. Anybody would be lucky to have you."

Liam's fairly sure he's blushing from head to toe when he murmurs, "Thanks, Nialler."

"Any time," Niall replies, picking up a hand to run it softly through Liam's hair. His fingers linger a bit at the nape of Liam's neck before dropping down to squeeze his shoulder lightly. Liam's got half a mind to reach over and link their hands together, but he can't seem to find the courage. So he just sits there for a minute, trying to sort out his jumbled emotions and thoughts.

He doesn't know how long he stays there before finally saying "Getting late, wanna head back?"

Niall just nods, allowing himself to be pulled up by Liam.

 

His mother asks how their date went when they get back. He swears he sees Niall's eyes light up as he glances back and says "Perfect."

Liam falls asleep with Niall cuddled up to his side and the whole day replaying in his head.

 

He wakes up to a very bored looking Niall sitting on his chest.

"Morning, sunshine. Took you long enough, I've been sitting here for like half an hour."

"What time is it?"

Niall takes a peek at the clock on his bedside table. "Eleven. I think we missed breakfast."

"Probably," Liam agrees.

"So are you gonna get up now?"

"Are you gonna get off me?"

Niall contemplates this for a moment before nodding and rolling off to the side. "So what's the plan for today?" he asks, pulling on shorts and a t-shirt.

"Dunno, there's not really much to do around here."

"Let's just hang out here, then. We can do a movie day like we used to."

Liam fondly remembers all of the movie days he had with Niall back when they lived right next to each other. He nods eagerly, happy to have a day of lounging around and hanging out with his best friend.

They go down to the kitchen to say hello to everyone and grab some snacks. Liam's mum gets this soft look on her face when they tell her they're just doing a movie day today, Liam thinks it's probably because she misses him just being around the house.

They take all of their snacks and drinks down to the basement and Niall settles in on the couch while Liam goes to start a movie. He pops Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire into the DVD player almost on reflex and plops down on the couch next to Niall.

"My favorite," Niall grins when the movie starts playing. He's fidgeting like crazy so Liam throws an arm around his shoulders and pulls him in a bit. Niall huffs happily and leans into Liam's side.

It doesn't take long for Niall to get restless again, and for some reason his hand goes straight to Liam's hair.

"You've been pretty fond of my hair lately, Nialler."

"Mmm," he murmurs, "like it long like this, you should keep it this way. Or grow it out a little more, maybe. Go back to the mohawk, like."

Liam thinks he would definitely grow his hair out if it meant he got more of Niall doing this. The movie ends and Liam puts the next one in, but Niall's laid out lengthways across the couch when he goes to sit back down.

"Budge up, Ni," he grumbles.

"I'm sleepy," he whines. "Just lay down with me." Liam's never been one to turn down Niall, especially when he's so soft and sleepy like this, so he wedges himself between Niall and the couch. He's just refocusing on the movie when Niall shifts next to him and suddenly he's sprawled across Liam's front. _This is new,_ he thinks. Niall's head rests lightly on Liam's chest, directly above his frantically beating heart. Liam feels his arms snake around his middle as he mutters something that sounds like "This okay?"

He nods because he doesn't think he can trust his voice right now. After a while his arm starts falling asleep from being jammed against the couch, so he brings his hand up to tentatively rest it on the small of Niall's back. Niall hums happily.

Liam isn't paying one bit of attention to the movie, instead trying to dissect the situation. It's not that they've never cuddled before, but they've definitely never cuddled like _this_. He's never had Niall completely covering him, fronts pressed together and legs tangling. He's never had Niall's head tucked gently under his chin. He's certainly never had his hand resting low on Niall's back for this long. And there's no one around, so Niall's not trying to put on a show for his family. He's pulled from his thoughts when he feels Niall shift slightly and he finds himself praying that he doesn't move. This thing may be new and a little scary, but he doesn't think he wants it to stop. But Niall just moves his hand up so his fingers can trace small patterns on Liam's forearm. It feels nice and Liam decides to just enjoy this while he has it.

He doesn't remember falling asleep but he must because he wakes up to the soft chatter of his sisters. Niall's still fast asleep against his chest.

"We've got loads of pictures, you two are so adorable," Ruth tells him.

"Leave," he replies.

"Grumpy," Nicola tuts, but they leave anyway. Liam makes a mental note to get his sisters to send him those pictures.

It doesn't take long after that for Niall to wake up. He blinks his eyes slowly and gives Liam a sleepy little smile and that's when Liam realizes it.

He realizes how utterly and truly _gone_ he is for Niall. It hits him so hard his head spins. All he can think is _I love you I love you I love you_.

"Y'alright, Liam?" Niall asks, eyebrow scrunched together.

"What? Oh, yeah. Sorry, just thinking."

"Well quit it. We're on break! We're supposed to be sleeping and eating and doing nothing else. Speaking of eating, we should go see when dinner is." And with that he pops up and tugs Liam off the couch and upstairs to the living room.

Liam's mum is just setting the table for dinner so he sneaks upstairs, saying he has to use the bathroom. He grabs his phone and immediately calls the only person who he knows will both answer and be truthful.

Harry answers after the first ring, "What's up, Li?"

"How long have I been in love with Niall?"

"Oh, jeez, at least two years. Maybe three. I mean, like, you definitely had a crush on him during X-Factor, but I don't think you really _loved_ him until a couple years ago."

"Why didn't you tell me!?" he whisper-screams into the phone.

"Oh fuck, did you not know?"

"No!"

"Have you told him?"

"Obviously not, Harry."

"Why not?"

"Because it's gonna be really awkward when he finds out and I'm really not trying to lose my best friend."

Harry pauses at that. "Wait, but why would it be awkward?"

"Don't you think it would be awkward if your best friend told you they loved you and you didn't feel the same?"

"Didn't feel the same - oh, you think he - Liam, you're so stupid."

"Whatever, Harry, I've gotta get back down there. I'll talk to you later."

"Good luck," Harry replies with a chuckle. Liam hangs up, wondering what Harry could possibly find funny about this situation.

"About time," Niall jokes when he gets back to the kitchen.

"Sorry, uh, Harry called so I was talking to him for a bit." Niall just nods and smiles at this and Liam can't stop looking at the way that he _shines_.

He assumes that dinner goes fine, he's too distracted to focus on anything other than the gentle press of Niall's leg against his. They all sit around the table after dinner is over, chatting for another couple hours. He barely registers most of the conversation, only contributing in head nods and chuckles when he hopes is appropriate. He can feel Niall's eyes on him but he can't meet his gaze.

"Well, I think it's time for us to go to bed," Niall states, producing what Liam knows is a fake yawn. His family buys it, though, saying their good nights. Liam feels Niall's hand slip into his and suddenly he's being tugged up the stairs and into his room.

"Alright, what's up? You've been acting weird since dinner. Did Harry say something when you were on the phone?" Niall asks.

"No, I'm just tired." He knows it's not just a lame excuse, it's the lamest excuse he could've possibly come up with. Niall obviously isn't impressed.

"Cut the shit, Liam, what's going on?"

"I'm just, uh, working through some things right now."

"Things that you can't tell me?"

"Not right now."

Niall looks hurt, but he accepts it. When they get into bed Niall throws an arm around his middle and tangles their legs together. Liam wishes he could have this forever instead of just for the next couple days, but he'll take what he can get.

 

He wakes up before Niall the next morning, so he allows himself to really look at the blonde boy in his arms. The way he's sleeping so peacefully makes Liam realize just how little of a chance he had. He was bound to fall in love with this wonderful, lively, beautiful boy because _how could he not_? The slivers of sunlight streaming in through the window highlight the features of Niall's face. The cluster of freckles on his cheek, the gentle slope of his cheekbones, everything about his face just seems so open and unguarded like this. Liam is so in love he can feel it pulling at him deep in his stomach.

Getting out of bed without waking Niall up is a difficult task, but he somehow manages. His shower is ice cold, an attempt to clear his muddled brain. When he goes back in to get clothes Niall is still fast asleep against his pillow. His chest aches with how good Niall looks sleeping in his childhood bed and how much he _wants._ He wants to go on stupid dates with him and try to cook for him and hold his hand and wake up every morning to his face. He wonders if this pain in his chest is just the build-up of all the repressed feelings he's had for Niall over the past years.

 

It's another hour before Niall comes downstairs, and some higher power must really have it out for Liam because he's freshly showered and wearing _Liam's shirt_.

"I'm going for a run," Liam announces to the room at large, grabbing his sneakers and heading out without another word.

Half an hour later his thoughts are still on nothing but Niall, but he's too exhausted to run any more so he goes back. When he walks in Niall is sitting at the kitchen table alone.

"Where is everyone?" He asks.

"Went shopping a couple towns over, said they wouldn't be home until after dinner," Niall replies. His face is relaxed but he's got a mischievous glint in his eyes that makes Liam cautious.

"So I was talking to Harry while you were on your run..."  Niall starts. _Fuck, he's been caught_.

"Look, Niall, I -" Niall holds up a hand to stop him almost immediately.

"You love me?" He asks, eyebrows raised and the faintest hint of a smile pulling at his lips. Liam just nods.

In a split second Niall's up off his chair and _literally_ jumping into Liam's arms. By some act of God Liam manages to catch him and stabilize them both before Niall connects their lips.

It's soft and gentle, but Liam can feel the pressure Niall's putting behind it. Liam turns around to set Niall down against the counter. He grips Niall's hips tightly, trying not to moan embarrassingly at the way Niall's hands grip his hair.

"God, I love you so much you fucking idiot," Niall laughs against his mouth. "Actually, we're both idiots if we could've been doing this since fucking X-Factor."

Liam can't keep the grin off his face. "Better start making up for lost time, then."

"Hell motherfucking yes," Niall answers, leaning back in.

 

Later, when they're tangled up in sheets and each other, Niall snaps a picture of Liam kissing his cheek and puts it in the group text they have with the other boys with the caption _Niam is real_. Harry is the first to reply with _You're welcome you twats xxxx love you both._ Zayn is next with _about fuckin time_. Louis's last, first texting _congrats lads_ and then following up with _no fucking on the tour bus tho_. Niall replies with _can't make any promises ;)_.

"They're going to hate us," Niall laughs into Liam's shoulder.

"Well there definitely won't be any tour bus sex if you're going to be as loud as you just were," Liam chuckles back.

"Oh shove it, you love me."

"Yeah," Liam replies, "I really do."

**Author's Note:**

> I like Sophia too much to write in a breakup, so this is a universe where they never dated. Also a universe where Liam didn't buzz his hair for the second time.
> 
> (Title from Oblivion by Indians)


End file.
